‘Zootopia 2’ Pounces into Theaters with Furtastic Reviews & $10M in Previews

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ latest release will have fans flocking into theaters this Thanksgiving weekend, with Zootopia 2 expected to rake in $270 million worldwide over its five-day opening. The sequel has already picked up $10.2M in preview screenings from Tuesday — the second-highest pre-opening take for the studio of all time, coming in between Moana 2 ($13.8M) and Frozen II ($8.5M).

In their new big screen animated adventure, work partners Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) uncover a land development conspiracy with deep roots in Zootopia’s hundred-year history with the help of a mysterious new arrival, Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan). Oscar winners and Zootopia alums Jared Bush and Byron Howard direct, from a script by Bush, and Yvett Merino produces.

On top of big box office expectations, the sequel has received a warm and fuzzy reception from critics. The pic heads to theaters with a 93% Tomatometer score (based on 82 reviews) and a quite rosy Metacritic score of 73 (26 reviews). While some opinions are split on the film’s bursting-at-the-seems population of new and returning characters and spells of stampede pacing, Howard and Bush have pulled off a fresh story that expands on important themes raised in their animal world. Top marks also went to ambitious animation feats, such as the chase through Marsh Market, and to the sympathetic, entertaining voice performances by Bateman, Goodwin, Quan and a celebrity-packed ensemble.

Here’s what some of the critics are saying:

“[Jared] Bush (to whom the screenplay is credited) approaches Nick and Judy’s dysfunctional partnership as if they were newlyweds still adjusting to one another’s idiosyncrasies — a rich recipe for constant screwball disputes. These movies are comedies first and crime-film homages second, but it’s their tertiary value as social commentary that makes the franchise so indispensable: Behind the laughs are teachable moments.”

— Peter Debruge, Variety

“[T]he plot is just an excuse for a series of uproarious episodes featuring delightful animal characters both old and new. Among the latter is ravenous beaver Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster, hilarious), who turns out to be a key ally, and pompous new mayor Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), a stallion who used to be an actor. While no individual scene matches the brilliance of the previous film’s classic sequence featuring a sloth DMV clerk — his name is Flash, and he does make a welcome if brief appearance here as an incongruously very fast driver — Zootopia 2 features one hysterical gag after another beautifully orchestrated by co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard. A particularly funny scene involves a walrus boat, while another revolves around a Burning Man-type festival. The attention to amusing detail is evident throughout, from the vainglorious mayor’s ample display of chest fur to the very long wintry outfit Gary De’Snake wears in snowy conditions.”

— Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

“There are a few laughs in Z2: of course there are. But they are algorithmically generated and corporately approved. It’s the kind of movie you put on an iPad to keep the children quiet on a long plane or train journey; nothing wrong with that of course, but the heart and soul are lacking.”

— Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (U.K.)

“… [W]hat the first Zootopia had going for it was its gorgeous animation and evocative character design. From the clever visual worldbuilding of its city to the lush colors and textures of a nighttime chase through the Rainforest District, Zootopia was part of a wave of projects that proved CG animation could have the same depth and expressivity as a classic hand-drawn film. That visual wonder elevated the first Zootopia, but the X-factor is gone in the sequel; everything looks brighter, flatter, and cheaper. Rather than push animation forward, Zootopia 2 is content to be just another colorful kids’ movie about cute, funny animals in a big, frenetic world.”

— Caroline Siede, AV Club

“[Zootopia 2 has] got the kind of heart that has too long seemed to be missing from other Disney animated offerings. There’s a weight to the messaging of the film. There’s real care behind the bond between Nick and Judy. There’s an absolutely incredible The Shining montage that will delight parents and terrify children for decades to come. Worth the wait? Yes, and we can’t wait for the next one to take wing (wink).”

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire

“… [D]irectors Byron Howard and Jared Bush, the latter the new head of the studio, have made a sequel that not only justifies itself, but arguably improves on its predecessor. Really, it’s the same film but better. Zootropolis 2 reframes the original’s metaphor for racism in a sounder, more thought-out way. In the first, the wave of fear and discrimination against predators like Nick was given material justification in the fact predators like Nick had been repeatedly attacking people (only under the influence of psychotropic substances).

In Zootropolis 2, we see the first snake in 100 years, Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan), rock up to the city. See, everyone’s learned now that predators aren’t, in fact, dangerous — but reptiles? No, no, reptiles are the real problem, Judy and Nick swear, in a move that’s both narratively frustrating yet depressingly realistic. But, here, the fact reptiles are perceived as violent and vicious is an essential aspect of the story. Who controls these narratives, after all? And what do you do when you’re faced with someone like Gary, so sweetly voiced by Quan, and with many of the actor’s own earnest, crumpled-up expressions?”

— Clarisse Loughrey, Independent (U.K.)